


Fox Forest

by lathyrus_odoratus



Category: Riverdale - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-03-26 12:23:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19005733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lathyrus_odoratus/pseuds/lathyrus_odoratus
Summary: Single Mom Veronica is stressed.Sweet Pea is coming home after years away.





	1. Chapter 1

MAY  
Sweet Pea’s head swam as he drove past Pops and over the train tracks into The Southside of Riverdale. It had been four years since had been to his hometown for longer than a day,the last time being for Toni and Cheryl’s wedding ceremony. He could hardly believe his eyes as he took in all the changes that had occurred in his absence cruising down 3rd Avenue towards the home of his best friend, Fangs Fogarty. The road reparation that began before he left had be finished, he noticed, as he drove past the Whyte Wyrm standing as it always had on the side of the road across from the Sunnyside Trailer Park. The trailer park had been extended, the new and old homes mixed together in a beautiful harmony. He turned right onto Rose lane and found the Fogarty house almost exactly as he’d last seen it. Fangs stood at the end of the sidewalk talking animatedly to a woman with her back turned. Sweet Pea pulled in front of the house and got of out his SUV as they both turned. 

“Finally! I’ve been standing in the heat forever,” Fangs exclaimed rushing to his friend and pulled him into a hug. Sweet Pea smiled and looked over his shoulder to the woman standing on the sidewalk, Veronica Lodge. The years had been kind to both of them, Fangs retained all of his boyish good looks, while Veronica’s appearance held subtle differences. Her hair was longer, her face showing the laugh lines that come with aging. Sweet Pea and Veronica hadn’t been the closest while they were younger but he had to appreciate how close she and Fangs had become over the years . He also wasn’t likely to forget how she headlined all of the improvements in the Southside after the death of her father. 

“Parece que ha visto un fantasma,” Fangs said grinning at Veronica who laughed loudly as she dug through her handbag for her cellphone. Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at his friend.   
“Que esperabas?” She replied, amusement written clearly on her face. 

“Sorry man,” he said smiling at the pair, “It was a hell of a drive in from New York. Hey Veronica.”  
“Welcome home, Sweet Pea,” she said with a soft smile. “ I better go meet Betty, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Sweets watched her walk away before returning his attention to the shorter man at his side who was sporting an impish grin.   
“Tomorrow?” Pea asked as they retrieved his few bags from the trunk.  
“Yeah dude, it’s the first Serpent party of the season, you haven’t been gone that long ,” Fangs laughed before leading him into the house. 

Very little inside the home had changed, it still smelled exactly the same as it did the first time five year old Sweet Pea had followed Fangs home after school one day. The decor had been updated slightly but retained all of its original cabinetry and charm. Growing up in the trailer park, it had been easy for him to spend all his time with Fangs at his home while Sweet’s own father worked through his anger and resentment at their trailer. Being home brought on a myriad of emotions, but most of all Sweet Pea was glad. He had enjoyed his job as a personal security officer, and was thankful to all the places he was able to visit because of it but something was missing. He was worried that coming back to Riverdale was the right choice, but first he needed to find a job. 

-  
“B,” yelled Veronica as she hurried down the street from the Fogarty house. Betty was standing in front of Sansevieria, the grocery store that had been built on the extension of Rose lane.   
“You got held up at Fangs, didn’t you?” Betty asked knowingly. Veronica and Fangs had become nearly inseparable over the last few years. Their shared Latin American roots soothed an ache losing her parents had left her. Not to mention he was the best gossip partner she had ever had.   
“ Of course, I was just filling him on Nannygate,”, she replied as they moved into the grocery store to stock up for the following days events. Betty’s eyebrows shot up in amusement at her friend. Only Veronica would equate her nanny going off to grad school with a national disaster. 

“It’s not funny, Elizabeth Cooper-Jones, Forest has been with Nancy since he was seven months old, who else could possibly replace her?”   
“You said you were proud of her, and offered to pay for courses! Don’t worry V, you’ll find someone she gave you a list of applicants to interview,” Betty repaid as she wove her distracted friend in and out of aisles to gather everything.

After everything on their combined lists were purchased the duo climbed into Betty’s car to head back to the Whyte Wyrm. Jughead and Toni were waiting for them as they pulled into the bar’s parking lot. The group made quick work of unloading the bags into the bar. Inside, Cheryl was waiting with a gaggle of children. During the day, the usually busy bar was the easiest place to corral the Serpent children while their respective parents attempted to get things done for the party. The annual summer party was a tradition dating back to when Fp was a kid, started by Toni’s grandfather.   
Jughead and Veronica were stringing lights in trees behind the bar when she caught sight of Fangs’ Jeep speeding past towards town.   
“Sweet Pea came back to town today,” Veronica told her friend conversationally. Jughead nodded his head, “ I heard he was coming back but wasn’t sure if it would be this soon, he seemed pretty hesitant about it.”   
“Only because coming back without a job wounds his pride, you know how he is,” Toni said from the chair she was occupying cradling her newborn to her chest. Toni and Cheryl had just welcomed their second daughter into the world, Rose. 

“He knows he can have a job here if he needs one,” she continued as she eyed Veronica. Toni had liked Veronica from the first time they met and had grown to think of her as family, even going as far as to ask her to be the godmother of her eldest child, Opal. 

As Veronica was about to ask further about the type of working he was looking for a dark haired bullet crashed into the courtyard followed by a flash of blonde.   
“Forest Edward!” She yelped as her nearly five year old son was knocked to the floor by her best friends daughter.   
“ Poppy Jones, does your mother know how rough you’re playing?” Jughead asked sharing a secret grin with his daughter. Poppy giggled before hauling Forest up from the ground. 

“It’s okay Uncle Jug, I slipped,” Forest told Jughead as he patted his mother's hand in comfort. “I’m okay mami.” She watched the pair of them run off with a contented smile. From the moment Veronica has found out she was pregnant, worried had been her default emotion and the day the doctor had placed her tiny son in her arms the feeling of worry had intensified tenfold. Forest had become everything in an instant.

Unfortunately, Veronica was the only one to feel that way. After years of dating, Archie has finally proposed to Veronica shortly after graduating college. She was overjoyed finally ready to have a happily ever after, but the reality was harsher. Once they had found out they were expecting, Veronica had began to see less of her fiancé as her belly grew. 

“Stop it, Ronnie,” Toni said catching her friends eye, “ it’s not your responsibility.” 

Veronica gave her a tight lipped smile and nodded her head. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who read!

Veronica woke the next morning with a pit in her stomach. She laid in bed curled on her side remembering. The bright light slanting through her blinds, birds chirping happily outside her window. Once upon a time she had believed the Southside to be dangerous, now it was the safest place she had. 

Veronica had found the reasonably priced insanely spacious cottage one day on a lark. She often jogged with Toni through Fox Forest along the banks of Crystal Lake. Cheryl had insisted upon on them going together after hearing Veronica complaining about needing more exercise. So twice a week she would drop Forest off at Thornhill and meet Toni at the Whyte Wyrm for their run. 

After one particularly unpleasant alcohol soaked wake up call from Archie, Veronica had taken off like a bullet. Instead of their usual oath around the lake she tore across Luberts Lane into the thick of the woods. She was so angry. Angry and embarrassed. Archie had come home at five in the morning, again. Sweat soaked and glass eyed crawling up her body on the small chair in the nursery. His hands crawling up her neck. She closed her eyes, pushed the thoughts away and opened them again. She ran, not bothering to look behind her knowing that Toni would be able to keep up. Her heart pounded and rushed to her ears. She kept going until she found herself on a trail leading to a clearing. There in the middle of that clearing was a cottage, Fox cottage to be exact, and she had found her home. 

She dragged herself out of bed and crept down the hall listening for sounds of her son playing. Forest was awake playing softly with his toys. Her heart swelled as she heard him talking to himself, and she opened the door. Forest’s dark hair was unruly from sleep and his brown eyes glowed as he noticed her, “Good morning, mami.”

After a quick breakfast, Veronica changed him out of his soft pajamas and into his favorite Ghostbusters shirt and shorts. By that time he was running with excitement around the living room trying to find his other shoe. She hurried back to her bedroom to change her clothes, hesitating on whether the plunging neckline was too deep. Before she could change her mind Forest had yelled out to her. Grabbing her phone, purse and keys they headed out for the day.

 

Sweet Pea was anxious as he brushed his teeth. He'd been gone too long and had missed so much. He had missed Fangs and was excited to see Toni and the girls. He hadn’t properly met Jughead’s daughter but Joaquin had showed him pictures and he’d heard her over Skype calls. He finished his brushing and moved to start folding up the blanket he had used the night before. He would have to find somewhere to stay soon. Fangs had insisted that it wouldn’t be a problem but he also didn’t know how to control his volume, and Sweet Pea enjoyed his quiet time. He gave himself a quick once over in the mirror above the couch before heading outside where Fangs and Joaquin were waiting for him. 

The group walked the short distance down to the Wyrm where music could be heard already. He headed to the back while the couple disappeared inside. Behind the bar house a large pergola and beneath that picnic tables line the area. People milled in and out chasing kids, he saw Betty and Jughead loading bags of ice into coolers, Toni following behind them with beer, sodas and drinks for the kids. He waved hello to a few people he recognized and headed towards his friends. 

“PEA!” Toni exclaimed jumping up to pull him into a hug. He held her tiny body close to himself and smiled overhead at the Jones’. 

“Hey guys, thanks for inviting me,” he said. Betty smiled warmly at him.

“Don’t be silly, Sweet Pea, you’re still a Serpent after all,” she said as she gave him a quick hug. After all this time, a part of him couldn't believe how they all ended up here together. Betty and Toni moved together like they spent years as neighbors. The rift between Northside and Southside truly mended. Jughead clapped him on the back breaking his thoughts and handed him a beer.

“You’ll need this, trust me,” he said with a glance toward the children coming out from the bar. He laughed and thanked him as he caught sight of Cheryl leading the group in her trademark read jumpsuit, a baby on her hip. 

“How nice of you to finally join us after everything is finished,” Cheryl said as she cocked an eyebrow moving in for a hug. 

“I knew you could handle any heavy lifting, Blossom,” he said with a smile before setting his beer on the ground and reaching for the baby.

“Hello baby Rose, I’m your uncle Sweet Pea,” he spoke softly against her skin and she squealed in response. Opal, never one to be ignored, quickly attached herself to his leg.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Uncle Pea,” she said brightly. 

“This is Poppy,” Jughead said nudging forward a small blonde with the bluest doe eyes he has ever seen. She waved shyly before tucking herself behind Jughead and reaching out for a dark haired little boy. The boy looked at him for a moment before leading Poppy away towards the play area. 

Inside the bar, Veronica was anxiously cutting fruit with quick loud chops as she paced back and forth. Fangs stood beside her sneaking pieces in between laps and he watched her check her phone again. He opened his mouth to speak and she cut him off with a point of the knife, “Don’t say it.”

“I was merely going to suggest that perhaps we should go enjoy ourselves while you check your phone,” he replied, moving to take the knife from her hands, “We both know that he’ll show up when he shows up.” 

Veronica nodded taking off the cheesy apron covering her outfit and brushed her hair back. She was a Lodge. She could get through one day with her friends. With one last look at her phone she slid it into her pocket before hooking arms with Fangs and heading outside.

The pair headed over to their friends and other members of the neighborhood joined in on festivities every passing year more people came. Veronica took her seat next to Betty with a smile and looked around for her son. She spotted him playing with Poppy at the water table and relaxed. 

Taking the offered drink from Fangs she let her gaze slide to the left of her where Sweet Pea was standing with Rose on his chest and Jughead. She was not unaware of the jokes Fangs and Betty often made at her expense when it came to the tall man. It started as light hearted teasing after she had let slip once she thought he was attractive and had gotten worse over time. They had been friends in a sense that they shared friends, and were comfortable in conversation before he left for his job, but they had never formed a relationship of their own.   
Yes   
Over the course of the day Veronica felt herself finally relax fully. She did as enjoying the sunshine with her friends and Forest had barely needed her all day. She watched her son run around with Jughead and Poppy before hitting smack dab into Sweet Pea’s legs. He reached out to steady the boy as Veronica approached him. 

“Are you a giant?,” the boy asked.

“Forest, that’s not a very polite way to introduce yourself,” she told him crouching down to meet his eye level. Sweet Pea smiled brightly at the pair and nodded at the boy with a wink over his mother’s head. 

“It’s nice to meet you Forest, I’m Sweet Pea,” he told him, “I was friends with your mom before and I’m best friends with Fangs.”

“Uncle Fangs is mami’s best friend too, does that mean you can play with us?” Veronica watched their interaction with bated breath, Forest wasn’t usually this open with men, Jughead and Fangs being the exception. 

“Only if your mother says it’s okay,” he replied with a nod to Veronica. She smiled back at him.

“Another time, maybe,” she steered her son back towards the table that housed their friends, “Aunt Betty has a surprise for you.”

Forest’s eyes grew wide as saucers when he caught sight of Betty bringing out a cake with candles. Everyone sang a happy early birthday to Forest and Veronica was happy with the life she had built for them. He was surrounded by people who loved him and were there for him. Eventually, Everyone broke into smaller groups throughout the rest of the evening. 

“Where were you looking to find work, Pea?” Jughead asked opening another beer, the kids had long since left with Cheryl and Toni for their sleepover. The sun had set and the lights came on, creating a soft glow around the group. 

“At the moment, anywhere that might need a hand, I’m sure you guys are full up on security detail at the club.”

“I got it!” Fangs exclaimed shoving his friends shoulder roughly. He had meant for the act to be reassuring but the alcohol had started to settle in his blood.   
“You should nanny for Veronica!”

“What?!” Veronica and Betty both helped at the same time. Sweet pea shrugged in response looking at the astounded ladies.

“It’s not the worst idea,” smirked Jughead as he leaned back in his chair. 

“No offense, SP, but have you ever taken care of a child before?” Betty continued, reaching out to lay an apologetic hand on his forearm.

“That was my job, Cooper, I worked security detail for a family. I’ve even changed a diaper,” he told her before taking a swig of his beer. Despite the sudden outburst Veronica hadn’t said anything else, just regarded him with the same tilt of the head her son had used earlier. 

“Yeah, and he was always better with my little cousins than I was when we were growing up,” Fangs threw out looking to Joaquin who nodded in agreement. Sweet Pea looked to Veronica noting the peculiar way she looked at him now before swallowing thickly,

“Come tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock, Fangs can show you the way,” Veronica finally replied before turning back to Betty. 

Veronica was just saying her goodbyes as her phone rang. Sweet Pea watched from his spot as her entire posture changed as she answered the phone. He watched her climb into her car, gesturing wildly while she talked into the phone. Beside him, Fangs sighed heavily and waved one last time before Veronica took off down the street. 

“So, Andrews is still a prick, that hasn’t changed.”

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been literally 10 years since I’ve written anything so be NICE to me.  
> This work is loosely based of one of my favorite fanfics, The Only Hope Left For Me Is You by livingdeadblondequeen. Even if you’re not a fan of TVD you should read it


End file.
